How Much Does it Cost to Make a Social Media App Like Instagram

25

August

How Much Does it Cost to Make a Social Media App Like Instagram

The most widespread social media apps are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. These game changing networks facilitate interaction with our contemporaries; provide a venue for conducting business online, and grant us unprecedented access to the lives of the wealthy and famous. Since launched in 2010; Instagram has amassed a $102 billion market cap, making it the most valuable video-sharing app. The number of people using social media worldwide is projected to increase from 3.6 billion in 2020 to 4.41 billion in 2025. If you think creating an app like Instagram would be cool, keep reading to find out how much it would cost and what features need to be included.

The Evolution of Instagram

Speaking about the evolution of Instagram, there has been a significant advancement in this photo and video-sharing social media platform, which Facebook Inc owns. The platform's journey began on October 6th, 2010. Remarkably, Instagram garnered an overwhelming response from a global audience. Surprisingly, within just a few months of its launch, it amassed many registered users. However, its growth trajectory skyrocketed following its acquisition by the social media powerhouse Facebook in 2012. Examining the user statistics of Instagram between 2013 and 2021, the user base expanded impressively from 90 million to a staggering 2 billion users. For a clearer comprehension, let's trace the evolution of Instagram through its timeline.

Back in 2010, Instagram burst onto the scene as a simple photo-sharing app, but it was only available for iPhones at that point.
The next year, in 2011, they spiced things up by letting people like and comment on posts. They also introduced hashtags, you know, those little pound sign thingies, to help folks find and connect over similar interests.
By 2012; Android users got to join the party as Instagram expanded its reach. They also added the ability to share videos and came up with Insta Stories, which are those short-lived posts that disappear after a while.
In 2013; they kept the ball rolling by letting you tag people in your photos and introducing "Photos of You," where you could see pics others tagged you in. Plus, they dipped their toes into sponsored posts in the US and made it easier to directly share and like media.
As the years went on, Instagram just kept on growing. In 2014;; they threw in more tools to edit your photos and made it easier for businesses to advertise.
But 2016 was a biggie. They finally gave us the ability to juggle multiple accounts within one app, which was a game changer. They also added cool stuff like zooming into posts, better comment features, and apps that played nicely with desktop computers.
The good times kept rolling in 2017. You could now post multiple photos in a slideshow; have threaded conversations in comments, and even share short videos like those TikTok things. Oh, and following hashtags became a thing too.
Come 2018; they threw down the gauntlet to YouTube by launching IGTV, a feature for sharing longer videos.
In 2019; they decided to turn into a shopping mall of sorts. You could shop directly within the app, which made impulse buying way too easy.
Zooming ahead to 2022, they brought in "vanish mode." Basically; it let you have hush-hush conversations that vanished once they were read or when you switched to another part of Instagram.
And now, in 2023, Instagram dropped a big bombshell with the "Meta Verified" deal. They started asking for official ID to prove you're you; all to fight off the fakers and keep things legit.

The Instagram App Functionality

To begin with, it's important to recognize that Instagram's evolution originated from a basic photo-sharing application. As a point of reference, its initial standout feature was centered around arranging photos within a square format. This foundational aspect, the Instagram MVP (Minimum Viable Product), was pivotal in propelling Instagram's success within the app industry. This instance underscores the wisdom of identifying a core feature that delivers primary value from the outset. Developing a streamlined version of a product with its core functionality formsa sound strategy for project initiation. However, it's equally important to strategize the release of subsequent iterations incorporating additional features for sustainable growth. The fundamental elements encompassed by Instagram's core functionality comprise:

User authentication (via email, phone number, or Facebook)
Profile creation and editing (including Business profiles)
Messaging capabilities
Image customization tools
Geolocation determination
User profile viewing and the ability to follow other users
Personalized feed generation
Comprehensive search functionality (spanning posts, usernames, tags, and locations)
Mentions
Analytics tools
Customizable settings

Feature That Impacts Instagram App Development Cost

Below are some features that should definitely be in the app, like Instagram:

Account Authorization Feature

For social networking sites concerned with their users' privacy and personal information, account verification is a must. Users should be able to login into the social media app using their existing account information (email or phone number) or establish a new account. In addition, two-factor authentication for unknown devices via email and phone SMS or social media accounts should be incorporated, as should password reset and recovery, detailed account activity logging, account locking out after too many unsuccessful login attempts, and detailed logging of account activity.

Profile Setup

The next stage is to build a profile-editing feature so that users can share information like their names, photos, and educational backgrounds and amend that information later if they change their minds.

Photo and Video Upload/Editing/Management

Depending on whether you're designing for Android, iOS, or both, you'll need to implement one of the following approaches to allowing users to contribute photos and videos to your social media platform. Instagram is a photo-sharing program where users can show off their artistic and creative skills by combining their photos with various filters and effects. There are two ways to handle the backend: you can use a pre-existing file (by copying the relevant source into the project) or make your own files from scratch.

Messaging Option

To prevent the app server from crashing from the large volume of incoming & outgoing messages, you should use the API on HTTP as a replacement for permanent socket connections and provide users with a real-time messaging option and notification about the incoming message. Using server-side device permission, your Android or iOS app can be linked with the server, allowing you to take advantage of the notification facility.

The Search Option

Users can use the search bar/box to look up anyone they know; any group they belong to, or any topic they might be interested in (such as celebrities, new technology, or local businesses). End users can utilize the search function to find and join social groups based on shared values; socioeconomic status, and shared interests. Through this selection, the backend server provides users with the expected outcomes.

The UI and UX of the App

Along with the elements described above, you should estimate the cost of designing the app. One of the most important factors for the future of your application is the design. It is when your concept starts to take shape as an actual app. Your app's design ought to be straightforward and tasteful, and it ought to give the platform a name and a status. The app's name should be intriguing, pertinent, and concise, and the logo should have respectable and engaging colour schemes.

Reel Features

Thanks to apps like Tik Tok, users can make 15-second long videos with audio, which are then uploaded to Instagram and placed in highlights reels. 50 countries currently have access to this update. Since the development of Tik Tok has coincided with growing security concerns, this is a comprehensive method of making videos that includes security safeguards. More people are using Instagram because of this. Companies can utilize this to their benefit by creating profiles and promotional movies highlighting their brand's growth. Instagram's built-in camera will automatically splice in the appropriate background music from their library.

Instagram Pinned Comment

Instagram has made it possible to pin comments on some posts because the community standards have changed, and there was a concern about the network. This will make it easier for people to mark comments they like and want to read again later. It will also decrease the number of fake comments on posts. With the pin box, finding the comments is easier and faster.

Adding More Extra Features And Settings

You can turn on or off push alerts, choose your preferred language, set your account's privacy, limit who can see your posts, or stop anonymous people from sending you friend requests and many more. For example, if you want to add push notifications, the app server needs to connect to the Apple or Google server by registering and giving the right ID on the Apple or Google server. Through ID, the computer sends the alerts.

The Cost to Develop App Like Instagram

The cost of developing an Instagram-like app might range from $30,000 to $500,000. Additional elements that influence pricing include the number of features an app has, how sophisticated it is, if it has AR or VR features, how aesthetically pleasing it is overall, where it is located, the developers' hourly rates, etc. Imagine that you want to develop an Instagram-like app that differs from the other apps in the digital ecosystem while providing its customers with a distinctive user experience. The price might then rise to almost $500,000. The expected cost to construct an Instagram-like app, based on complexity, is as follows: The lengthy feature list, wireframing, design, and development process can all affect how much an app costs.

Conclusion

This period is the era of social media applications. A social media network like Instagram would be a great asset for expanding your business opportunities. Remember that people enjoy using new social media platforms; if you give them that extra advantage, you can win the race. Startups can start with a straightforward and sophisticated strategy, but as time goes on, they can scale their software more. As a result, you must collaborate with a trustworthy mobile app development company like Cosmonaut for your business. We will create the software to ensure the highest ROI and win the race thanks to our taented team and competence in various specializations.